We talk and she stays the night.

It gives me a chance to ask a lot of questions. I start timidly.

“There is something that bothers me and since you know so much more, I was wondering if you could clear it out for me.”

“What?”

“Like, you guys are fighting with swords and arrows. Why not have one of the Constructor build you a gun? Or at least a composite arrow? And if you prefer the sword, why not like a Star Wars lightsaber?”

She chuckles as if that's the dumbest question she ever heard, but then pulls her face straight and tries to be polite. “Well, first of all, only dungeons have constructors. And I have never been a dungeon manager, but I know one thing. You can’t bring in foreign technology here, like something that has not yet been invented here. I mean, try it. But I’m certain you would not be permitted. No technology pollution. They want this world to be the way it is.”

“But I already did things that are borderline crazy? Like those health potions?”

“Yeah. I guess they permit you to have that. But, try building a gun. See if you can get a license for it. I am pretty sure you would not be able to.”

“I see. I will still try. Can’t blame the guy for trying.”

"You better not. If you bring in some tech like that illegally, they will eventually find out and sanction you."

"And what does that mean?"

"They'll send an agent like myself to look at what is going on, and probably terminate your contract."

"You mean kill me?"

"Not necessarily. Your soul might still be worth something to someone. To destroy a soul... I do not know how you would go around doing that."

"Don't understand you."

"If you go in a soul box, they can keep you there till all your memory is gone. Then, you're as good as dead. But to actually destroy your soul, I do not know how that can be done."

"Well, I think they already took all my memory, if I'm to believe that I existed before. But I'm not ready to give up knowing my kids and my wife, all the life I lived on Earth," I say, getting all upset. I'm not ready for someone to come in and take all my memories away. That's all I've got!!

“Don’t you understand? It’s like a fantasy land playground for them. They want it like this. To watch it evolve at its own speed and according to different variables. So, yeah, as much as I’d like to have a gun, or better yet a lightsaber, I’m not permitted to bring one in. And, so, you better forget about building one or getting somehow one for yourself either. Get it??”

It hurts. My dream of being a lightsaber master poofs away.

Still. It makes sense. They want it this way, so who am I to stop them?

It makes me realize Tarra is right. This whole planet is just a playground for those who rose high up in the ranking. But then, what makes me think the Earth is any different?

“And this game I signed up for…?” I ask. "Anything you can tell me about it?"

“It’s sick entertainment for them. It is supposed to be something else. A way to resolve a conflict, to prevent a war. Also, some agencies use it as a recruitment ground to pick a new talent. But mostly, it's just pure entertainment. They even beam it galactically. I guess for people who have it all, the death of real beings and creatures provide some kind of sick entertainment.”

“So, if I lose, I lose my holdings, right?"

"Whatever you put on a table to play. Minimum is one million coins worth."

"Shit. My whole dungeon is not worth that much."

"Well, then you'll chip in everything you've got."

"And what do I get if I win?”

“You win their cards. And whatever else they put on a table. Bud... You should not even think about that. You are so far away from winning anything. Besides, this is just a local game. If you win, then you go and play against major players of the planet here. Actually, I do not know how many of you are here. But, you will progress up. And then… if you win on the planetary level, you go and play against the winners of other planets."

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

She stops talking and looks at me. I guess my eyes are shining a bit too bright, too eager. "Who knows, maybe you’ll enjoy it," she says after observing me. "Playing with people as if they are your pawns, your knights, your figures to order around. To put their lives on board for your own amusement.”

"You make it sound awful."

"It is."

"Why is it legal then?"

She chuckles. "You don't have a clue how everything works here, do you?'

I shrug my shoulders.

She does not say anything for a long while, so I try to get some more info out of her. “So, let me get this straight. I can control my players?”

“Can you control Oollie when you are not inside of him? It all depends on Bonding. Most of the players are not even present. They play it remotely."

"So, I can't be inside my players?"

"You can. But why would you risk it? If you lose, you lose it all then. Your soul too."

"So that's not a smart play then, huh?"

She shakes her head. "No, that is never a smart play. They would love you to compromise yourself like that. But if you have any brain in your head working right, you would never take that chance."

I sigh. That much for something I was already planning out. I'm disappointed. "So. what do I serve then?"

"A lot. That is why it is so complicated. The point is that you want to put them in an as advantageous position as you can find, then they have to fight on their own."

I know I'm asking a lot of stupid questions, but how else am I going to learn?

She drifts away and I patiently wait for her to come back to me. When she does, it's shocking to hear. "You know, I started out like that. A card game. I was just a pawn. It was so scary. I was fighting for my life against monsters, did not even know it was all just a big game someone placed me inside. Without me knowing. Or having anything to say about it.”

“That’s just not right,” I admitted.

She fell silent then. But, there was a lot to take in those few words. I try to understand it. Sick rich bastards playing with you as if you were nothing more than a piece on a chess board. More or less. I think.

“Must be why I hate the game so much. Must be why I never really developed a trust relationship with the LIP Corp.”

“Can’t blame you. That was a dick move on their part.”

“Yes. And the funny part is… there is nobody that you could go and complain to. They seem to control the whole... existence thing. So, it’s just… what it is.”

“And you work for them now?”

She looks at me surprised. “You do too.”

“Yeah, that is true. Should not say anything.”

“But, it does not need to be all bad. It’s more what you make of it, you know”

“So, you really will not tell me what your mission is here?”

She looks at me, weighs me, judges me, then smiles and pads my shoulder. “I might tell you about it next time I see you. That is if you’re still alive.”

The night ends too fast and she is gone before the first light.

“I have to go, but, I’ll try to be back before you go. Maybe I can help you out. I do not know, we’ll see.”

'Okay' is all that leaves my lips.

She holds my hand. “You’re one of the good guys. I know about those things. Trust me. You’re a good guy. Just…”

“What?”

“Don’t you ever forget that,” she says and takes a deep breath, then gets up and adds. “No matter what happens.”

When she is gone, I remember to look over my Holdings.

My coins total such. I have to build it up. I need one million to pay off that stupid game and then maybe I will never accept another invite again. I look over my denizens. Everyone is doing fine, except my eagle. LightsOut is still badly injured. He has just crawled to the dark corner, not ready to make a sound or move a bit. I think he is ready to die. But I’m not ready to let him go.

“Why, why, why? He says as I order him back in the Core. ‘You, you… get a new one. Better one.”

“No. I like you just fine. Let’s see if we can fix you up a bit.”

For the rest of the day, I do some recalculations.

The way things are going, I can make this dungeon produce at least one thousand energy units a day. It’s clear how to do it. Easily. I just get a bunch of cows or sheep or goats. Let them go to a pasture outside. My pack of wolves could keep them safe. Bring them back to sleep inside the Dungeon's cellar, and have a corner in the Great Hall where they could also relieve themselves. I might not be the best-smelling dungeon around, but, what the hell? Can’t have it all.

That is one way to do it. So, I don’t need to worry about that. I can sell what I have. Actually, I decide to keep on selling all the Energy I have over 500 units. I think that would be enough for any emergency. And I need coins. But I don't want to micro-manage this, worrying all the time about every little thing. I've done that enough in the past. Sick of it.

So, let SAMS do it automatically. That way I can do other things while the coins are constantly dropping into my bucket. And soon, we'll see what kind of deck I can come up with.

I look a bit around and see that there is not as much grass around as there is just a low growth. So, I make a decision to split it and get two cows and five goats, the max I can do with the money I have. But that’s all right. I’ll have goats breed with each other as one of them is a male. And, as soon as I have more coins, I’ll buy another cow and a bull.

The only rule I have for them is not to travel anywhere without the protection of the wolves, and every time they need to relieve themselves to come and do it so in the cave that’s the furthest down inside the dungeon. Their manure will decompose there the fastest and they will not be stinking up the place too bad

I will also have Oollie milk them, and make some cheese. Can see if I can sell it in a town down the river, and with the local currency, I can finance some very interesting ideas that are starting to swarm in my head.

Yeah. I can already hear the sound of coins dropping.

I give LightsOut day off. He deserves it. But having him around the house creates a whole new set of problems.

There is constant bickering between him and Oollie. As much as pups love Oollie, LightsOut detests him. Calling him hairball is one of the things. And Oollie, there is just so much that he is ready to put up with. And soon he makes fun of LightsOut and how he talks and walks funny. And he starts repeating everything LightsOuts says, like five times.

Oh, well.

I let the kids fight as I turn to my own thoughts.

And... I suddenly remember the scroll we picked up. Where was it? Did Tarra keep it in her side pocket where she originally placed it?

She did not. I see it lying abandoned and forgotten just behind a marble block inside the cave. It must have dropped from her pocket when we brought her in. And now, it looks… partially disintegrated already. Stupid, stupid, me. How could I have forgotten all about it?

I open it up eagerly. Not everything could be read. But I make out enough. Enough to know I should be scared. Enough to know I need to get in touch with Tarra right away.